Essay about Hidden Spirituality in Shakespeares Hamlet

Most literary critics readily acknowledge, like the author of this essay, the obvious presence of considerable spirituality within the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. The purpose of this paper is to identify and elaborate on selected spiritual elements in the play. Not all critics appreciate the spirituality in Hamlet. A.C. Bradley’s Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth presents a different interpretation regarding the presence of spirituality within the play: For although this or that dramatis persona may speak of gods or of God, of evil spirits or of Satan, of heaven and of hell, and although the poet may show us ghosts from another world, these ideas do not materially influence his†¦show more content†¦He is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). His first soliloquy emphasizes two religious/moral themes: the corruption of the world at large, and the frailty of women – an obvious reference to his mother’s hasty and incestuous marriage to her husband’s brother: O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie ont! ah fie! tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month-- Let me not think ont--Frailty, thy name is woman!—(1.2) The first soliloquy ends with theShow MoreRelatedRevenge In Hamlet Analysis988 Words   |  4 PagesMurder, incest, revenge! This is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. If lovers of literature are asked to make a list of some of the greatest works of literature, undoubtedly, Hamlet would be near the top. Hamlet, an intriguing and complicated character, has been studied by lovers of literature and psychologists alike. It is an interesting examination of human behavior. To set the scene, prince Hamlet’s father has been slyly murdered by his uncle. His father’s apparent ghost comes to him and asks him to avengeRead MoreRelevance Of Shakespeare s Tragedies Essay2428 Words   |  10 PagesRELEVANCE OF SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDIES IN MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY A. Phaniraja Kumar Abstract: Despite the reshifting of values that has affected every aspect of life in the 21st century, William Shakespeare still stands as the greatest writer of the English Language has ever produced. In this paper, I analyse Shakespearean great tragedies’ relevance to the complexities of modern Indian society. His plays have been revalued and reinterpreted in terms to the complexities and especially ‘milieu’ ofRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagestransmitting the story to the reader. . In their relationship to other characters and to the action of the plot, firs-person narrators may be either interested and involved or disinterested and detached. In either case, however, they are always subject to hidden biases and prejudices in their telling of the story. Minor characters serving as narrators, no less than minor ones, must be watched constantly, especially if the reader has reason to suspect that they may be other than totally reliable guides to